by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
5 Reasons Why You Should Start Writing Morning Pages – Right Now!
by Nicky Hajal
“For years I’ve wanted to write daily but been unable to. The proof is 5 or 6 journals filled with just a single entry. Then, I came across
Morning pages in
The Artists’ Way, by Julia Cameron. The idea is to wake up and immediately write three pages about
anything, simply transcribing your thoughts.Their purpose is not to be shared with
others or even reread by yourself but simply to create awareness and to
free your mind of all the chatter. They work incredibly well and have had a huge impact on me since I started consistently writing in December. I know you have a ton of things to accomplish and I want you to accomplish them. That’s why I want you to write morning pages. But before I go into the
how of getting into morning pages (next post) I want to go more deeply into
the why.” To read the article in its entirety, click here.
Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin, by Robyn Stone @ Add A Pinch
This has become a go-to favorite for these empty nesters! The aroma alone should require Weight Watcher points. It’s very simple and anything in a crock pot grabs my attention. Add the crock pot liner and you’ll also have an easy clean up. Add Jasmine Rice and a veggie. Voila! I’d love to know what you think when you give it a try.
This recipe is a favorite, but so is Robyn’s site, Add A Pinch. It’s filled with great recipes, travel tips, homeschooling ideas and much more. Enjoy!
100 Days of Real Food – Meal Ideas and Resources
Ready to cut down on processed food? Lisa Leake does a terrific job in offering delicious recipes, along with FREE meal plans!
How to Create a Cleaning Schedule that Works for You – Living Well Spending Less
This has been a favorite site of mine for awhile but this article in particular has proven to be especially helpful. You’ll want to visit this site often as Ruth serves up helpful tips on saving money, easy DIY’s, and much more.
Do you spend time trying to earn approval from others? From God? Jennifer Dukes Lee Love Idol was recently released and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. You know if Susan Stilwell promotes it, the book is slam full of truth with little fluff. My kind of book! I’m considering trying an online study group for Love Idol this summer via Google Hangout. If you might be interested, leave a comment on the blog and stay tuned!
Studying God’s Word, eating healthy, spending time/money wisely and spiffing up our skills all enhance the fragrance we have to offer each other and the world. Don’t you agree?
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Ever met someone for the first time but instead it felt more like a continuation of a lifelong friendship? This happens often with sisters in Christ, and it describes my friendship with Susan Stilwell. I learned about her amazing blog via Vonda Skelton over a year ago and we’ve stayed connected ever since.
But here’s the best part. We’ll meet face to face for the first time at our upcoming writer’s conference at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference. I can’t wait to give this Hokie a big hug!
In the meantime, I’m delighted to be guest blogging @ her site, I Hope 4 Him, today. We’d love for you to stop by for a visit. 🙂
Thank you, Susan. See you soon!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
It’s the first day of Spring!
This season, I will celebrate:
- My risen Savior. The same dunamis power that raised Jesus from the grave resides in me – within every Christ follower – and He is a life changer. My celebration of this gospel-driven truth isn’t limited to the one Sunday many rise before the sun, wear new outfits, and race to find the most brightly colored eggs. For “‘In Him we live and move and have our being…'”. Acts 17:28
- Light breezes, rainy mornings, emerging hostas, and shady corners in my yard. (Along with a possible screened-in back porch from which to enjoy all of the above. My vintage glider is waiting for a test drive from Piper.)
- Getting a new roof! Our hundred-year old home has never seen one — and we have a leak to prove it. But God (two favorite words) blessed us through this experience in a way we never expected. Thank You Lord!
- My time at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference in May. 60 days away…but who’s counting? Reservations are made, a possible book idea to pitch is in the works, and I can’t wait to hug this friend in person. We’ve been e-friends for a year but we’ll meet face to face in May. Building relationships is one of the things BRMCWC does best.
- Running! I received official clearance after a procedure last week and I’ve already begun my walk/run journey. Starting over again at 50 will certainly be different than years past. I may be slow and steady but this I know for sure: I’m moving in the right direction.
What’s one thing you will be celebrating this Spring season? Welcome to the party!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Today I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Allison over at
The Budget Maven!
The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It’s a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a nice way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers!
When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)
11 Random Facts:
- I’m married to a bluegrass musician (and a darn good one at that!)
- I’m a germ freak. My hands may be chapped but I can’t remember the last time I caught a cold!
- I’m a closet NASCAR fan. Yes, NASCAR. The love-fest began in 2001 at Daytona. It just happened to be the first race I’d watched in years (my mom dated a NASCAR driver for many of my teen years). When I watched Dale Earnhardt Sr. hit the wall and not emerge from his car, I was emotionally hooked.
- Autumn is my favorite season. I’m convinced heaven will be fall-like for an eternity!
- I feed my spoiled Lhasa Apso by hand. Did I just admit that?
- I would like to write a children’s book.
- I collect vintage chenille bedspreads.
- I’m not partial. I have one of the cutest granddaughters God ever created.
- I have a weakness for McDonald’s Chocolate Chip Frappe’s. Can anyone say 18 Weight Watchers points? Ouch!
- I watched the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) so many times that my DVD began to flicker—so I invested in a new one. 🙂
- The study of The Tabernacle was a turning point in my Christian walk. Forget the idiom “the devil is in the details” — it’s our awesome God who is interested in every minute detail of our lives. Thank You, Lord!
Allison’s Questions for me:
1.What is your least favorite color?
Blue
2. What smell makes you the happiest?
Crisp leaves in Autumn
3. What’s one thing from your bucket list that you’ve yet to do?
Make a bucket list.
4. Who would win in a fight between a hard shell taco and a grilled cheese sandwich?
Hard shell taco, hands down. Unless we’re at Mike’s on Main Street in Hendersonville NC. Their grilled cheese with a cold root beer is yummy. I’d best stop now or I may have to change my answer to #2.
5. What’s your favorite dessert?
Birthday cake. White cake and buttercream white icing. Sweet mercy!
6. If you could trade wardrobes with a celebrity, whose closet would you raid?
Sienna Miller’s – love her style!
7. What overused expression really gets on your nerves?
“politically correct”
8. Vintage or Modern?
Vintage
9. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke…it’s classic.
10. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Aubree Sophia Baker (where did that come from?)
11. If someone gave you a check for a million dollars, how would spend it?
Truly,
I would give a generous check to Summit (my awesome church!) and other
Kingdom causes. Then I’d build a cabin in the mountains where my
family could vacation together (and we could live full-time!)
Here are my nominations for the Liebster Award:
4. Julie at Anti-Writing
My Eleven Questions for Nominees:
1. Would you rather see a movie at the theater or at home on DVD? Why?
2. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?
3. Who’s your favorite singer or band?
4. If you had to choose a favorite book of the Bible, what would it be and why?
5. Fiction or non-fiction? Why?
6. How would you spend a million dollars?
7. Walmart or Target?
8. Do you parallel park or drive around the block?
9. What’s your favorite cookie?
10. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
11. What recent blessing from the Lord would you like to share?
A BIG thanks to Allison at
Budget Maven for this opportunity to share and to help other blogs get noticed.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Iron sharpens iron. And one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 ESV
“I love your sermon notes, Cathy! I’ve been trying to take a computer-sabbatical on Sundays, so these have been great to read on Monday mornings.”
Susan Stilwell recently left the above comment for one of my Sunday Snippets posts. As I read it, a faint but divine shrill pierced my conscience.
Could God possibly be calling me to a computer-sabbatical on Sundays as well?
After a few weeks (I’m a slow learner), I realized the depth of Susan’s comment. God used it to sharpen — awaken — my discernment in regards to the Sabbath.
As a result, I now plan to take notes on Sundays, but post them on Monday mornings. Sundays on Mondays, if you will.
Yet another reminder of how melodic the shrill of steel-on-steel can be in a Christ-follower’s life.
Where would we be without one another?
